Tempers flare in the 3rd period of Game Four of the CHL Finals. The Rapid City Rush pulled out a 4-2 win over the Allen Americans on Friday, and evened the series at 2-2. Game Five will be played Saturday night. (Photo Credit: John O'Neill)

The Rapid City Rush scored three goals in the 2nd period of Friday night’s Game Three against the Allen Americans, and that production helped lead them to a 4-2 victory.  With the win, the Ray Miron Cup Finals are tied at two games apiece.

I thought we had three legitimate chances to make it 3-0, and we didn’t bear down and bury the puck.” Americans head coach Dwight Mullins said.  “They got a goal off of a long shift, and then we put ourselves in a hole on the power play.  Games like that are going to happen. We made a tactical error on the third goal that we shouldn’t make at this time of year, but that’s the hockey game.  It’s 2-2 and it’s a seven game series and we have to look at it like that.”

The Americans got a 2-man advantage early in the 1st period. Justin Bowers continued his scorching hot offensive assault in this year’s playoffs, picking up his 11th post-season goal on a quick goal line shot after a feed from Bruce Graham. Allen lead 1-0 just 2:43 into the game.

Still retaining a man advantage on the Rush after the power play goal, Allen added another goal 29 seconds later.  Jordie Benn spotted Graham in the slot and fed him the puck from the left point. Graham spun and fired, beating Rush goalie Danny Battochio to give the Americans a 2-0 lead on just their fourth shot of the game.

The score remained 2-0 as the two teams went into the first intermission, and the momentum seemed to be completely in Allen’s corner.

But, Rapid City came out firing in the second.  The Rush got on the scoreboard midway through the 2nd period when Jon Pelle tipped in a point shot from teammate Gio Flamminio, and cut the Americans lead in half.

Rapid City tied it up while on the power play at the 13:12 mark.  The Rush were on a two-man advantage and had just moved the puck to Brendon Hodge as time expired on the first penalty.  Hodge beat Whitley with a quick shot, though, and knotted the game at 2-2.

The Rush moved ahead on the scoreboard with a goal in the final minutes of the middle frame.  Les Reaney scored his seventh goal of the post-season to give his team a 3-2 lead over the Americans.

Rapid City took the one-point lead and the shift of momentum into the locker room at the 2nd intermission.  The Rush outshot the Americans 13-3 through the first fifteen minutes of the second, and 18-9 in the period.

Things seemed to unravel a bit further in the 3rd period, and frustration with the officiating from the Americans led to advantages for the Rush.

Rapid City grabbed a two-man advantage after an interference call by Nino Musitelli and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Mike Salekin for Abuse of Officials. Pelle scored his second of the night, going top-shelf on a sprawling Whitley, and gave the Rush a two-goal lead, 4-2.

Emotions boiled over after Allen defenseman Mike Salekin was given a game misconduct penalty, again for Abuse of Officials.  Less than a minute later, pushing and shoving escalated in front of the Americans bench to a massive pileup.  When the dust settled from the fracas, a total of 57 minutes in penalties were handed out: 36 minutes to Allen, including two 10-minute majors (both to Bowers), and 21 minutes to Rapid City.

As time expired in the game, an additional game misconduct was given to Mullins, also for Abuse of Officials.

“I’m extremely disappointed,” Mullins said.  “I put a request into the league on a situation that has been occurring several times over the course of the season.  I guess they refuse to take me seriously.  Unfortunately we were put in some situations that kind of took us out of the hockey game.”

Mullins said the request to the league was in regards to “certain personalities involved in games that don’t necessarily jive”.  He explained that his frustration came from these off-ice issues influencing the game played on the ice.

However, Mullins said he doesn’t expect any of the frustration from the end of Game Four to impact Game Five.

“It’s 2-2,” Mullins said.  “We have an opportunity to come in here tomorrow night, win a game, and go up 3-2.  That’s what we’re going to do.”

Americans Note:  Goaltender Chris Whitley broke several “single post-season” CHL records in Friday’s loss to the Rush.  Whitley made his 18th appearance in the playoffs this season, which passed Chad Ericksson and Steve Plouffe on the all-time list.  He also set records for minutes played in a post-season (1066) and for saves in a single post-season (566).  Ericksson previously held both of those records.

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Allen Americans forward Colton Yellow Horn puts in his second goal of the night on a feed from Allen captain Jarret Lukin. Yellow Horn went on to get a hat trick in the game, powering Allen to a 5-2 win over Rapid City in Game 3 of the CHL Finals. (Photo Credit: John O'Neill)

After a three-day respite, the Allen Americans resumed their CHL Finals battle with the Rapid City Rush in Game Three on Wednesday night at the Allen Event Center.  In front of a crowd of 3,532, the Americans got a hat trick from Colton Yellow Horn and a pair of goals from Justin Bowers to power them to a 5-2 win over the Rush.  The Americans now lead the best-of-seven series, two games to one.

“Colton finished the regular season real strong,” Americans head coach Dwight Mullins said.  ”He was maybe a little quiet in the first round against Laredo, but he really stepped things up for us here in the back half of the Odessa series and he’s been one of our best players for the first three games of this series.  He’s highly, highly skilled and he’s just a smart player. He’s doing the things he needs to do to help our hockey team.”

Yellow Horn’s hat trick was the first of his professional career, but the offensive burst was no surprise to anyone who has been watching this team since his arrival during the regular season.  The diminutive, gritty forward has a lot of edge to his game, but his offensive talent has never been in question.  His ease with the Americans system after more than half a season and his trust in his teammates has allowed him to open up his arsenal and get creative.

That creativity was evident on Yellow Horn’s first goal.  The Americans were up 2-0 and on the penalty kill early in the 2nd period.   Yellow Horn led a rush up the ice for Allen, and made a great move on Rush center Brendon Hodge to get free.  He stopped short and handled the puck around Hodge and then beat Rapid City goalie Danny Battochio with a quick shot.  The goal gave Allen a 3-0 lead just a minute and a half into the period.

“It’s one of my favorite moves, I try it all the time,” Yellow Horn said.  ”Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.  Today I got lucky and had it work and scored a goal off of it.”

The Americans assault on the Rush started early in the first period.

The Americans jumped out to a quick lead, converting their first powerplay opportunity of the game.  Justin Bowers picked up a rebound in the slot, and wristed it past Battochio to give Allen the early 1-0 lead.

Bowers struck again later in the 1st period, swooping into the slot and getting a feed from defenseman Erik Adams.  Bowers had Battochio out of position and blasted into a mostly open net.  The Americans took this 2-0 lead into the dressing room at the first intermission.

Yellow Horn’s inventive goal came next, to lead off the scoring in the 2nd period.  The Amerians were up 3-0 just a minute and a half into the 2nd period.

Later in the same period, Allen added to this lead.  Nino Musitelli burst out of the penalty box after serving a roughing penalty, and collected the puck in his own end.  He led a charge up ice with Jarret Lukin and Yellow Horn, and after a quick deke with the puck, dished it behind his back to Lukin near the crease, who then slid it over to Yellow Horn for the easy tap-in goal.  The Americans were up 4-0 about mid-way through the game.

But, the Rush finally got on the board with 7:48 to play in the 2nd period.  Brendan Cook buried a bouncing puck in the net to give Rapid City their first goal of the night on their 24th shot, and cut the Americans lead to 4-1.

In the 3rd period, the Rush pulled even closer to the Americans.  Scott Wray broke into the Americans zone on the left point after a pile up at the blue line, and beat Americans goalie Chris Whitley with a slapshot.  Allen held to a 4-2 lead with 7:48 to play in regulation.

The Rush pulled their goalie with 1:23 left to play, and added the extra attacker.  Tyler Wooddisse grabbed the puck with about a minute left, though, and fed it up to Yellow Horn driving up the right side of the ice.  The rookie deposited the puck down ice to cement the win for his team and pick up his first pro hat trick.

The Americans will get back to work on Friday and Saturday at the Allen Even Center in games four and five of the Finals.  The Americans will have a chance to win the Ray Miron Cup in front of their home crowd on Saturday with a win on Friday, but Mullins isn’t worried about his team losing focus on Game Four.

“One of the biggest strengths of our hockey team, from  day one, is that we’ve never looked ahead of ourselves,” Mullins said.  ”We’ve taken every day as it comes, whether it’s a weekend series during the regular season or even through these playoffs.  The same process will go into game four that went into game three.  We have to park this one now, learn from it, and do what we need to do to make sure we’re putting our best effort forth in Game Four, regardless of the situation.  We’re in no position to get ahead of ourselves.”

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Allen Americans forward Justin Bowers scores in the 1st Period, and is then hit with a cross check to the head by Odessa Jackalopes captain Kory Karlander. The no-call on this play was highly disputed by the Americans and their fans. Odessa went on to win Game Five, 6-3. (Photo Credit: John O'Neill)

The Odessa Jackalopes entered Saturday night’s Game Five of the CHL Southern Conference Finals down three games to one and needing a win to keep the Allen Americans from ending their season.  The Jacks got that win, and sent the series back to Odessa for at least one more game, with a 6-3 victory.

Game Six will take place on Monday night, and although it’s almost certainly a situation Allen Americans head coach Dwight Mullins didn’t want to be in, it’s not one that will prevent him from feeling positive.  Although Mullins and the Americans were unable to close out the Jackalopes on Saturday night, they’ll get two more opportunities, if needed, to get that one win.

“It was a real desperate effort by them,” Mullins said.  “I think the non-call on (Justin) Bowers changed the whole complexion of the hockey game.  We’re up two to one, should be a five-minute power play, there’s a non call and we maybe lose a little focus at that time.  That’s a little bit frustrating.  But, we’ve got three shots at them here.”

The ‘non-call’ that Mullins referred to took place on the goal Bowers scored to put the Americans up 2-1 in the first period with 7:29 left.  Bowers got the puck, and was allowed to skate in on net.  He used a Jacks defenseman as a screen and roofed the puck top-shelf over Martin.  Moments after he released the puck, Odessa captain Kory Karlander came through the slot and delivered a brutal cross check to Bowers’ head with his stick.  Bowers was spun around and hit the ice.  The cross check broke several teeth and left Bowers with a mouthful of blood, but the hit went unseen by the officials on ice, and so there was no call.

The Americans plan to send the play to the CHL, and wait to see if discipline is handed down to Karlander at a league level for the illegal hit.

“There better be,” Mullins said.  “You can’t ignore this one.  To me, this is a suspension (for Karlander).  It’s easy.  It’s easy.”

The Jackalopes were the first to get on the scoreboard, netting a goal 3:23 into the opening period.  Defenseman Dave Van Drunen snapped a shot that beat Allen goalie Chris Whitley over the left shoulder and gave Odessa an early 1-0 lead.

The Americans’ tied it up once again on a goal rebound goal at the 9:01 mark of the first period.  Brandon Straub cued up a slapshot at the right point, and unleashed on net.  Bruce Graham was in the slot to get the rebound and wristed the puck into an uncovered net to make the score 1-1.

The Bowers goal gave the Americans the lead 2-1 at that point.

Then, with nearly 15 minutes gone in the game, Odessa knotted the score once again.  Jean Bourbeau entered the Americans zone on the right point and put a slapshot on net.  Whitley’s save popped a rebound out into the slot onto the stick of Karlander.  The Jackalopes captain buried the shot to tied the game at 2-2.

After a penalty by Bowers on the game-tying goal, Odessa was on the game’s first power play.  Mike Ramsay gave the Jackalopes a 3-2 lead as he pounded a slapshot from the left point and beat Whitley five-hole.

Odessa took this one-goal edge into the locker room at the first intermission.

The first half of the 2nd period was filled with penalties, and the two teams traded opportunities, but neither was able to cash in on them.

Just under halfway through the second, the Jackalopes extended their lead to 4-2.  Odessa’s Paul Bradley’s slapshot took a rebound off Whitley’s pads and came to Ramsay, who buried it for his second goal of the night.

In the final minute of the 2nd period, the Americans cut the lead to one.  Jordie Benn received a pass near the blue line and hammered it on goal.  The shot was tipped by Bowers near the net to beat Martin.  The 2nd period came to a close with the Americans trailing by just a goal.

There was no scoring in the third period until the 13:42 mark.  Odessa’s Mike Lesperance took a hard shot from the slot, and restored the Jackalopes two-goal lead, 5-3.

Thinel scored an empty-net goal with 28.4 seconds remaining on the clock to cement the win for Odessa.

The Americans are focusing on Game Six, and aren’t disappointed about having to travel back to West Texas.

“I’m not disappointed.  It’s frustrating, some of the things you need to go through.  Not disappointing.  This isn’t the time of year to be disappointed.  We’re up three games to two.  We’re going to an arena where we’ve played really well and we’ve been a good team on the road.  I’m not disappointed.”

Game Six will be on Monday night at 7:00 p.m. at the Ector County Coliseum in Odessa.

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Allen Americans captain Jarret Lukin scores the first of his two goals on Odessa Jackalopes goaltender Juha Toivonen in the first period of Friday's Southern Conference Finals Game Four. The Americans won the game, 6-4, and took a 3-1 series lead. (Photo Credit: John O'Neill)

The Allen Americans started out strong in the first period of Friday night’s Southern Conference Finals Game Four, posting three unanswered goals against the Odessa Jackalopes.  The two teams played a wild second period that saw a total of six goals, and in the end the Americans were able to hold out for a 6-4 victory, giving them a 3-1 series lead.

At one point in the second period, the Americans held a 5-1 lead on the Jackalopes.  But, Odessa was able to roar back, closing the gap to 5-4 after a shorthanded penalty shot goal in the closing moments of the middle frame.

“We’ve talked all playoffs about composure and adversity,” said Americans head coach Dwight Mullins.  “At the end of the day, the numbers on the scoreboard were still in the favor that we wanted them.  Sometimes it’s (easy) to lose sight of that at times.  I give our guys a lot of credit – they were able to park the negatives and focus on getting back a little bit of momentum.”

“We can’t worry about them, i think we have to keep worrying about our game.  That’s how we’ve been successful.  Every game we’ve tried to play our game and not played into their hands.  They’re a good hockey team – they score lots of goals.  We’re just trying to stick to our game plan.  I think they’re going to have to empty the tanks tomorrow night – they don’t have a choice.  I think you’re going to see a fired up Allen Americans team too, and hopefully we take care of business.”

Nino Musitelli got the Americans on the board early at the 17:27 mark of the 1st period.  The Jackalopes turned the puck over along the boards in their zone, and Musitelli jumped on it quickly, skating into the near faceoff circle and firing a wrist shot past Odessa goalie Juha Toivenen for the 1-0 lead.

The Americans added two goals in the final five minutes of the opening period.

Nathan O’Nabigon and Colton Yellow Horn worked hard to get the puck deep in the Odessa end.  They worked the puck over to Americans captain Jarret Lukin, who was alone in front of the goal for the easy one-timer to the top shelf.

Allen made it a 3-0 game just 47 seconds later.  Once again, the Americans set up in the Odessa zone, and Ryan Fairbarn blasted a shot on net from the left point.  Yellow Horn was in the slot to get the rebound and work it behind Toivenen for the large lead.

The Jackalopes registered their first goal of the night on the power play with 1:30 left to play.  Odessa worked the puck down low to the corner and Kory Karlander.  The Jacks captain snapped it into the slot where Jeff Pierce was waiting to put it behind Allen goaltender Chris Whitley.

The two teams skated to the locker rooms with Allen up, 3-1.

Allen got their second power play opportunity of the night 1:24 into the 2nd period.  The Americans set up and established themselves in the Odessa zone. Justin Bowers crept into the slot and picked up a rebound from Toivonen’s pads, working it around the Finnish netminder and into the net to make it 4-1, Allen.

With Yellow Horn in the box for Allen and Sebastien Thinel in for Odessa, the two teams skated 4-on-4.  Allen took advantage of the reduced manpower on the ice.  Jordie Benn fired a shot from the point that was re-directed in front of the net by Lukin, giving him two goals on the night.

Jeff Pierce led the Jackalopes charge back a few seconds later.  Odessa got the next two quick goals from Pierce, giving him the hat trick and pulling Odessa within two goaols, 5-3.

An uncharacteristic loss of composure put two Odessa Jackalopes in the penalty box for slashing and holding, seemingly derailing their comeback.  The penalties gave Allen a 5-on-3 for a full two minutes with 3:23 left in the period.

But, a collision by a pair of Allen defensemen at the blue line sprang Odessa’s Karlander on a breakaway, and the Americans took a hooking penalty to prevent Karlander’s opportunity.  Referee Dan Dreger awarded Karlander a penalty shot, and the Jacks captain beat Whitley with a quick shot between the legs, cutting the Allen lead to a single goal.

During the penalty shot, Whitley suffered some pain when the puck struck an unprotected spot in his equipment, and needed an injury timeout to collect himself.  The pause in play allowed Mullins to speak to his team and make sure they were focused.

The Americans resumed their 5-on-3 opportunity, and came up with a big goal.  Ryan Fairbarn whistled a puck past Toivonen to restore the two-goal advantage for Allen, 6-4.

A total of six goals were scored in the 2nd period – the most goals seen in one period of any Americans game thus far.  The tumultuous middle frame came to an end with Allen up by same two goals they led by after the first period of play.

The third period was a mostly defensive affair, with the Americans focusing primarily on limiting and preventing any quality shots on goal.  Their efforts kept Odessa off of the board, despite being outshot 11-5 in the period.

“They’re playing desperate,” Bowers said of the Jackalopes.  “They threw a lot at us in the second, but we matched them – we had three goals too.  We knew what we had to do in the third, and I think we did that.  They’re having a tough time playing with us when we’re shutting them down.  We’re playing a really good defensive game and Whitley’s been great.  Our D has been awesome.  Our forwards are chipping things in and keeping it simple, our D is doing the same and Whitley’s making big saves.”

Between the pipes, Whitley is getting lots of help from back-checking forwards and a defense that is hitting at every opportunity.

“I thought they would have (given) more of a push,” Whitley said about the Odessa offense.  “I think that was a credit to our defense and backcheck in the third period.  Giving up three goals in the second period is pretty uncharacteristic for us.  I think the guys realized that and made sure we just focused on defense.  We had a two-goal lead and that should be good enough to win.”

Mullins said that although his team was more focused on limiting shots than generating shots of their own, that wasn’t necessarily a change in their overall game strategy.

“Our game plan doesn’t necessarily change at all,” Mullins said.  “Based off of some of the things they did, it forced us to have to be careful and defend.  But there were times where we just wanted to manage the puck and take care of the puck, and sometimes when you do that as a team, your shot totals suffer.”

With a 3-1 series lead, the Americans have an opportunity to close out the series at home on Saturday, when they take on the Jackalopes in Game 5.

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Allen's Nathan O'Nabigon and Odessa's Troy Ofukany exchange fists in the 3rd period of Wednesday night's Southern Conference Finals Game Three. The Americans won the game, 5-2. (Photo Credit: John O'Neill)

The Allen Americans opened up their home-ice portion of the Southern Conference Finals on Thursday – the first game of three in four days.  They battled the Odessa Jackalopes in a hard-hitting, physical match.  The younger, faster Americans team was too much for the Jacks on Wednesday, and Allen took home a Game Three victory, winning 5-2.  The Americans now lead the best-of-seven series, two games to one.

The game saw four fights and a large scrum near the end of the game, with just a few seconds left on the clock, that resulted in several unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

“You’ve got two proud hockey teams that have put themselves in a position to legitimately try to win a championship,” said Americans head coach Dwight Mullins.  ”You’re going to get that from both sides.  It’s hard, competitive hockey.”

Bruce Graham put the Americans on the board 3:39 into the first period, as he skated out from behind the Odessa net and smoked a shot on goal from the right circle.  The shot beat Jacks netminder Joel Martin cleanly to give Allen the early 1-0 lead.

About a minute later, Graham sprang a two-on-one that increased Allen’s lead.  Breaking up the right side of the ice, Graham shot a laser of a pass over to Nino Musitelli on the opposite wing who blasted it into a mostly empty net on a one-timer.

“Everything clicked right away.  It was awesome,” said Graham.  ”We got those two quick and then just piled it on.  Things are clicking right now.  It’s fun when it’s like that, when everything’s going well.”

The Jackalopes closed the gap to 2-1 as they got their own two-on-one goal.  Collin Cercelli slid the puck to Jeff Pierce who scored his 6th goal of the post-season.

The period closed with the Americans leading the Jackalopes, 2-1.

There was no scoring again until the 3:13 mark of the 2nd period.  After cycling the puck deep in the Jackalopes’ zone, the Americans got the puck out front of the net.  Christian Gaudet hopped on a rebound and spinning around, fired on net where he beat the diving Martin.

Justin Bowers gave Allen a three-goal lead about two minutes later.  The Americans’ all-star forward drove into the Jacks zone, guarded by Garrett Gruenke, and fired a stiff wristshot between the Odessa defenseman’s legs and on goal.  This puck became the fourth to find the back of the net guarded by Martin, and the Americans seemed to be running away with it at the end of two periods, 4-1.

Bowers credited the Americans’ speed and depth with wearing down the Jackalopes skaters as the games go on.

“We have to use our speed; we’re built to skate,” Bowers said.  ”We’re good at home and we kind of feed off of the energy in this building and each other.  We did that again tonight.  They can’t keep up with us when we’re skating and all lines are going.  It’s fun hockey right now.  When all three lines are going, we’re a hard team to stop.”

The Jackalopes made a change between the pipes to start the 3rd period.  Juha Toivonen went in net to try and give Odessa a wake-up call.  It seemed as though that might have been what they needed, as Toivonen was strong early, and the Jacks then got a goal from Jeff Pierce that cut the lead to 4-2.  But, the Americans regained their three-goal lead just 37 seconds later on a slapshot from the point, making it 5-2, Allen.

A hit by Odessa’s Kenny Bernard had Americans fans holding their collective breaths with .  Colton Yellow Horn was bringing the puck up ice when he was caught with his head down by Bernard near the center faceoff circle.  Yellow Horn took a hard hit and went down to the ice in pain.  There was no penalty on the play.  Yellow Horn eventually made it off of the ice with the help of two teammates, but seemed to be keeping any pressure off of his leg.

After the game, Mullins said they kept Yellow Horn out of the rest of the game as a precautionary measure, but that he was “good” after the hit.  There was no indication that he would miss any further game time as a result of the hit.

Allen looked to have a sixth goal in the closing minutes of the game, and the goal was given at the time it was scored.  The players celebrated, and the arena played their goal song, “Don’t Stop Living in the Red”, but on replay it was obvious that the puck was knocked into the net while it was about a foot or more above the cross bar.

The game, which already had featured three fights, came to a head in the final seconds as seemingly everyone on ice grabbed a partner.  The final fight of the night had Liam Huculak squaring off against Mike Lesperance.  The final penalty tally in the game showed 19 infractions for a total of 62 minutes – 34 for the Americans and 28 for the Jackalopes.

The Bowers-Graham-Musitelli line combined for a total of 11 points in the game, as they continue to be the most dominant line on the ice.

The 5-2 loss for the Jackalopes was the first road loss they have suffered this post-season.  The Americans, meanwhile, have won four consecutive home playoff games.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for how these guys have competed,” Mullins said of his team.  ”They love the game.  It’s one of the most enjoyable things we talk about here. We have a group of guys who enjoy the game, they love the game, they watch the game, they play the game.  That’s contagious and it’s fun to be around.  It’s hard to get them off the ice some days.”

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The Allen Americans celebrate after defeating the Laredo Bucks, 4-1, at the Allen Event Center on Wednesday. The victory advances them to the Conference Finals against the Odessa Jackalopes. (Photo Credit: John O'Neill)

The Allen Americans grabbed their first post-season series victory on Wednesday night, as they defeated the Laredo Bucks for a second straight night, this time by a 4-1 margin.  The Americans will move on to the CHL’s Southern Conference Finals to face the Odessa Jackalopes starting this Friday.

Allen faced a tough task when they returned home to finish the series this last weekend.  The team was down three games to two in the Semi-Finals, and had dropped two in a row to the Bucks, including a lackluster 5-1 loss in Laredo on Saturday.  But, the Americans were able to regroup and refocus, and get the wins they needed on home ice to advance.

“What we talked a lot about was trying to grasp as much momentum as we could,” said Americans head coach Dwight Mullins.  ”We really felt they gave us their biggest, best push last night (in Game 6) and we wanted to do everything we could to just keep letting the air out of their tires.”

“It was a great game,” Mullins added.  ”I thought Chris Whitley played his best game of the series and I think we started to feed off of that a little bit as well.”

The Americans and Bucks traded opportunities back and forth as they opened up play in the game, but neither team seemed to have a clear advantage at the outset.

Allen looked to have scored first at the 11:47 mark, but the goal was waived off by referee Jon McIsaac.  Allen’s original shot on net was denied, and Bucks goalie Pier-Olivier Pelletier made the stop on a charging Nino Musitelli.  Justin Bowers came into the play after that, and appeared to have knocked the puck in with his stick.  But, McIsaac ruled that the puck was pushed over the goal line by Musitelli with his glove.  Vehement opposition from Allen’s bench and players did not bring about a change of mind, and play resumed with no score.

“I could see where the ref was coming from,” said Musitelli.  ”I did crash the net pretty hard, but by no means did I hit it in with the glove.  But, the linesman saw what he saw, and he made the call that he thought was right.  We battled back and we didn’t let it bother us.”

“I thought it maybe energized us a little bit,” Mullins said of the ‘no-goal’.  ”I thought we were a little tentative up until that point, and I thought it energized us.  It really kind of helped us buckle down and get back into the game.”

In fact, it was the same line just a couple of minutes later who would put the Americans up 1-0. Musitelli received a pass from Bowers out of the corner, and unleashed a backhand shot that beat Pelletier over his blocker.

“That line has done an unbelieveable job for us all season long,” said Mullins.  ”And they play well here (at the AEC) for sure.  Anytime you can get your best players on the ice you want to do that.”

The second period opened with a strong push by Allen’s offense.  The Americans outshot the Bucks 11-2 before adding to their lead with a second goal.

Nino Musitelli and Tobias Whelan broke into the Bucks zone on a 2-on-1 rush. Musitelli dished the pubck to Whelan, who deked in front of the net and backhanded it on net.  Pelletier gloved the puck, but it had crossed the goal line, and Allen was in control 2-0 with 9:27 left in the second period.

The Americans wrapped up the middle frame outshooting the Bucks two to one (22-11) and leading 2-0 heading into the third period.

Four and a half minutes into the third period, the Bucks got on the scoreboard.  Todd Griffith picked up a rebound from a Ryan Lehr point-shot and roofed it over Chris Whitley, who was still flat on the ice from the initial save.  Laredo was back in the game, down 2-1.

“I gave a terrible rebound right to the one guy who’s buried the puck on me the whole series, so that wasn’t the guy I wanted to give it to,” Whitley said.  ”I had to bear down – there was 15 minutes left in the period and I couldn’t really make another mistake.  I just had to make sure I was out challenging the puck, and our D did a great job.  I saw everything and made sure they weren’t getting another one by me.”

The strong play of Pelletier in net for the Bucks really gave their team a chance after the Griffith goal.  Even though Laredo had been outplayed for most of the game, they were only a single shot away from tying it, and having a chance to pull out a comeback.

“You have to give their goaltender a ton of credit,” Mullins said.  ”For the last four or five games in a row, he’s given that team a chance to hang around and win.  This game was a 2-1 hockey game with nine minutes to go and no matter what the momentum swing was, it was still a hockey game and we needed to be careful.”

But instead, another goal by Allen helped to crush Laredo’s hope for an equalizing score.  Nathan O’Nabigon rushed the net with the puck, and was turned away by Pelletier.  Out of the pile-up, Christian Gaudet came up with the puck and got it to Jordie Benn, who belted it on net from the faceoff circle.  Allen led 3-1 with 8:48 to go in the third period.

Bruce Graham put the final nail in Laredo’s coffin when he scored on the power play.  Graham got the feed from Musitelli on the rush, and snapped a wristshot high to the blocker side for the score.  Allen’s 4-1 lead would be insurmountable for the Bucks.

The Americans will leave for Odessa on Thursday to prepare for Southern Conference Finals Game One, which starts on Friday at 7:05 p.m.

Photo Gallery by BDH Photographer John O’Neill:

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Laredo Bucks goaltender Pier-Olivier Pelletier makes a save on Allen Americans forward Bruce Graham in the first period of Tuesday's night's Southern Conference Semi-Finals Game 6. The Americans went on to win the game, 3-2, forcing a decisive Game 7 on Wednesday night. (Photo Credit: John O'Neill)

The Allen Americans returned from Laredo, having dropped two of three to the Bucks on their home ice. Facing a 3-2 deficit in the Semi-Final series, the Americans had their back to the wall, and needed a win in order to force a decisive 7th game in the series.  The Americans got that win in a hard-fought, physical game over the Laredo Bucks on Tuesday night, 3-2.  The two teams will meet again on Wednesday night for a winner-takes-all Game 7, with the victor going on to play the Odessa Jackalopes in the Conference Finals starting Friday.

“Everything comes down to Game Seven now,” said Americans head coach Dwight Mullins.  “This is why we put in the long nights in January – to have this situation and give ourselves this opportunity.  It’s real nice to be here and to be home, and hopefully with that we can take advantage.”

Another strong third period of play is the reason Allen will have this opportunity.

Tied 1-1 after the first two periods of play, the Americans were leading in shots, 29-17.  Mullins stressed the importance of not letting his team get bogged down mentally, just because they were tied despite nearly a 2-1 shot margin.

“I think the biggest thing was that we needed to stay composed,” Mullins said.  “We didn’t need to let our anxiety get the better of us at certain times.  I think our guys really handled the situation very well.  I think tonight it was a key.”

Allen got some help from a player who isn’t well-known in the spotlight.  Matt Radoslovich, a gritty forward who joined the team in February, put the team up 2-1 at the 5:28 mark of the 3rd period.

Defenseman Jamie Benn drove up the boards in the Bucks zone, and fired a pass to the slot for the rushing Radoslovich.  He tipped the puck and then knocked in a rebound off Laredo goalie Pier-Olivier Pelletier’s pads with his stick to give the Americans a 2-1 lead.

“I just kind of drove the net, and Jordie made a great play,” Radoslovich said.  “He fed it right through the guy’s legs and I just got a tip on it, which was good.  It kicked off his pad and I was able to bury the rebound.

The game had a fatigued feel to in in the first half of the opening period; it was obvious to see this was a latter game in a long series.  But, after being outshot 6-5 through the first half of the 1st period, the Americans peppered Bucks goalie Pier-Olivier Pelletier with shots.  Allen outshot Laredo 12-3 in the second half of the 1st, but couldn’t get a puck past Pelletier.  The frame ended with the teams locked in a scoreless tie.

The Americans opened up the second period taking it to the Bucks as they had done in the latter half of the 1st.  Allen was rewarded for the aggressive play with a goal at the 4:02 mark.  Bruce Graham outworked his man for the puck along the boards, and sprang Nino Musitelli in the slot.  Musitelli stopped and popped a shot top shelf on Pelletier, and the Americans were up 1-0.

The lead wouldn’t survive until the end of the frame, however.  Bucks defenseman Paul Elliott set the table for teammate Todd Griffith with 6:13 to go in the period.  Griffith buried the wrister behind Allen goalie Chris Whitley and the game was tied at one, which is how the period ended.

The 3rd period started with the Americans on the powerplay for 1:23, due to a Delay of Game penalty on the Bucks to close out the 2nd period, but Allen was unable to convert the opportunity.

They took the lead on the Radoslovich goal, and then moved up by two on a breakaway goal.  Justin Bowers made a play to knock the puck off the stick of a Bucks skater, and broke in on Pelletier alone.  Bowers deked on the Laredo netminder, and then poked the puck past the outstretched goaltender’s pad to make it a 3-1 game.

Laredo cut that lead back down to a single goal when Darryl Smith scored on a powerplay with less than five minutes to play in the period.

The Bucks had a prime opportunity to tie the game when Americans captain Jarret Lukin was called for a tripping penalty with 1:03 left in regulation.  Laredo pulled their goaltender to get the 6-on-4 advantage, but Whitley and the Americans defense held, and Allen skated away with the victory.

“This team hasn’t had to play back-to-back nights since early in the series,” Mullins said.  “We’re going to try to re-energize and come put our best foot forward tomorrow.”

The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday for the final game of the semi-final series.

Allen Americans forward Nino Musitelli beats Laredo Bucks goaltender Kevin Desfosses over the shoulder with a wrist shot in the 2nd period. The goal put Allen up 2-1 at the time, and they went on to win, 3-2. With the series tied 1-1, the teams will head to Laredo to continue play on Tuesday. (Photo Credit: John O'Neill)

The Allen Americans didn’t have long to shake off the funk from their series-opening loss on Friday to the Laredo Bucks.  The two teams hit the ice again on Saturday night, with the Americans seeking their first playoff win in franchise history.

Despite Laredo’s nine power play opportunities, the Americans were able to hold on for a 3-2 win, tying the Conference Semi-Final series at 1-1.

In a game characterized by penalties, it was hard to ignore their impact on the outcome of the game – or perhaps the lack of impact it had.  When the dust had settled from the game, there were a total of 27 infractions, totaling a sum of 64 minutes.  In the end, that penalty time was split with 32 minutes to each team.  But, in the sixty minutes of game play, the infractions earned the Bucks five more power play opportunities than the Americans had.  Allen was 1-for-4 on their opportunities, while the Bucks were 0-for-9.

After the game, Americans head coach Dwight Mullins expressed confusion at why so many penalties were called.

“Never seen anything like that in my life,” Mullins said.  ”We faced a lot of adversity – more abnormal adversity than a team needs at this time of year, and I guess I should just leave it at that.”

“I don’t understand what the objective is,” he continued.  ”I don’t understand what they’re trying to accomplish.  For however long there’s been hockey, the playoffs are a battle and you let the players decide their own fate.  Obviously you have to keep some kind of semblance (of order) but I don’t know.  I was scratching my head a little bit tonight, there’s no doubt about that.”

The Bucks were the first to get on the scoreboard, 2:36 into the first period.  Todd Griffiths grabbed a lose puck, fought through the Allen defense and rifled a backhander on net.  The Bucks second shot of the night beat Americans goalie Chris Whitley over the left shoulder cleanly, and Laredo had the early 1-0 lead.

The Americans offense really had trouble getting started in the first half of the opening period, primarily due to the time Allen spent on the penalty kill.  The team managed just two shots on net in the first 10 minutes, and just six in the entire first period.

The Americans tied the game up quickly in the second period, though.  After getting just six shots in the 1st period, the Americans mustered a quick succession of shots against Bucks netminder Kevin Desfosses, and the third – by defenseman Brandon Straub – found it’s way to the back of the net.

With 14:46 to play in the 2nd period, Allen took the lead in the game – one they wouldn’t relinquish.  Justin Bowers fed Nino Musitelli with a pass through the slot on a 2-on-1 break, and Musitelli buried the puck over Desfosses’ left shoulder to put the Americans up, 2-1.

“It was a great pass by Bruce (Graham) to get it to Bowers and then Bowers to get it to me, and it was a good finish,” Musitelli said of the goal.

The goals by Straub and Musitelli were career firsts in the playoffs for each.

Allen added to their lead 12:22 into the 2nd period.  On the power play, the Americans cycled the puck around the perimeter of the Bucks zone.  Ryan Fairbarn found Musitelli cutting near the net, and fed him the puck near his skates.  With a deft kick from skate to stick, Musitelli wrapped the puck around Laredo’s Desfosses, who had dropped to stop the puck, and gave Allen a 3-1 advantage.

The Americans took that two-goal lead into the dressing room at the 2nd intermission.

The Bucks cut the Americans lead to a single goal when Ryan Lehr scored on a slapshot from the blueline at the 5:12 mark of the third period, but were unable to get the game even once more.  Allen was able to contain the Laredo offense effectively for the rest of the game, and Whitley came up big in net when he was called upon.

“It was key that we got the win tonight,” said Whitley after the game.  ”If we’re down 2-0 to Laredo, especially going down there for three (games), we’d be in a pretty big hole.  Tonight was a really big win for us.”

Mullins has liked the mindset the team has had all day.  He said the team didn’t allow itself to get too down after the previous night’s loss, and that was critical to their success in Saturday night’s victory.

“I felt pretty good all day,” Mullins said.  ”I thought we had a good environment around here.  The guys seemed upbeat, which is exciting for us.  Historically our second game in two nights is usually one of our better ones, and we’ve kind of been like that all year, so we felt good going in.  But it’s a battle – the battles are starting to get drawn between players and in certain matchups and people.  You can see there’s not a lot of room for error.”

Allen’s penalty-killing performance has been exemplary of late.  In the two games thus far, The Americans have put the Bucks on 12 power plays and haven’t allowed a goal in any of them.  Laredo had three opportunities in the first game, and nine in Saturday night’s tilt.

“It’s the playoffs,” Whitley said.  ”One game you might get nine or ten (penalties) against you, and the next game you get two or three.  You just have to roll with it.  Our PK was great tonight – we did a great job.  I saw a lot of shots and fortunately I didn’t give up any against, so that’s a good thing.”

“It’s a playoff game,” Musitelli echoed.  ”Every game from here on out is going to be that style of play.  There’s a lot on the line – we’re going in to Laredo tied 1-1, and we have three games there.  It’s going to be a battle to the end, and we’re ready for it.”

Allen continues its best-of-seven series in Laredo March 30th, April 1st and April 3rd. If the series is forced to six games, Allen will host Laredo on April 6th at 7:30 p.m.

Photo Gallery by BDH Photographer John O’Neill:

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Laredo Bucks forward Darryl Smith scores a goal in the 1st period of Friday's Southern Conference Semi-Final Game One against the Allen Americans. The Bucks scored two goals in the third period to win the game, 4-3. (Photo Credit: John O'Neill)

The Allen Americans welcomed the Laredo Bucks to the Allen Event Center on Friday night to start their Southern Conference Semi-Final series.  The Bucks scored two goals in the third period of the game, holding the Americans scoreless in the frame, and went on to win, 4-3.  The Bucks now lead the best-of-seven series, 1-0.

“It’s the playoffs,” said Americans head coach Dwight Mullins.  ”It’s a seven-game series and we’ve talked about it being a seven-game series.  Tonight we took a little bit of a step backwards, but we’ll regroup and go back tomorrow.”

Liam Huculak put the Americans on the scoreboard early in the 1st period.  Huculak’s attempted centering pass from behind the net rattled off of players in front and found it’s way into the goal for an early 1-0 Allen lead.

That lead only lasted about five minutes though, as Laredo defenseman Mike Looby cut through the slot and beat Americans goaltender Chris Whitley with a sharp backhand shot.

With 42 seconds left in the 1st period, an Americans defensive breakdown left Laredo forward Darryl Smith with the puck one-on-one against Whitley.  Smith got Whitley to drop down low in net and roofed the puck top shelf to give the Bucks a 2-1 lead going into the intermission.

The Americans played perhaps their strongest hockey in the 2nd period, as they scored two goals in the first seven minutes, and held the Bucks scoreless in the frame.

The first goal was scored as a loose puck drifted into the Bucks zone, and Bucks goalie Pier-Olivier Pelletier charged out of his net to play it up the boards.  Allen’s Tobias Whelan drove into the zone hard and beat Pelletier to the puck high in the slot, taking a hard crash to the ice, but scoring the tying goal.

The Americans regained the lead a minute later.  Bruce Graham beat his defender and drove the net hard.  Pelletier made the initial stop with Graham colliding into him.  But defenseman Erik Adams was trailing the play and picked up the rebound, burying it in the net to give Allen the 3-2 edge.

The Bucks pounded 13 shots on net in the 2nd period, but couldn’t get one to penetrate the pads of Whitley, and Allen held a 3-2 lead after the 2nd period.

“I think we started to get into a bit of a rhythm and started to move the puck,” Mullins said of the Americans’ second period play.  ”We started to put pucks on the net and manage pucks down low in their end and get them running around a bit.  I think that was an advantage to us there.”

But that advantage disappeared after the intermission, as the Bucks came out hard in the 3rd period.  Laredo’s Looby smacked a one-time shot past Whitley from the blue line, and scored his second goal of the night.  The game was tied up at 3-3.

The Bucks took the lead once more with 10:50 left to play in the 3rd.  Neil Trimm rippled the net on a two-on-one breakaway, and Laredo led the game 4-3.  It was a lead they wouldn’t surrender.

Despite a final flurry of offensive activity to close out the game, the Americans were unable to find the equalizer, and lost their first playoff game.

“I didn’t think we started out that great in the third period,” said Mullins.  ”I thought we were a little tentative.  But, all in all, it’s one game.  We’ll just regroup and come tomorrow.”

When asked if the extensive CHL playoff experience the Bucks had on their roster (nine players have skated in a total of 336 playoff games) helped them with their 3rd period comeback, Mullins dismissed the factor.

“When you get to this level, all of these guys have been in the playoffs,” Mullins said.  ”Some of these guys have won a lot of championships.  It doesn’t matter what level you’re at – the playoffs are the playoffs.  I just think we made a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes and that left us with the score we had.”

Photo Gallery by BDH Photographer John O’Neill:

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ALLEN, Texas

Corpus Christi came into the game in a fight for the last playoff spot in the Southern Conference. The visiting team began the game with all cylinders firing, shooting 12 pucks in the direction of Americans’ backstop David McKee during the first period. The Americans were not without their scoring chances, but IceRays’ goalie Kevin Beech stopped everything that came his way. Allen gave up a five-on-three power play goal to Corpus Christi’s Kyle Peto with 2:05 remaining in the first that gave the IceRays a 1-0 lead.

The IceRays started the second by increasing their lead to three with goals from Ryan Bennett and Peto. Bennett scored on an odd-man rush with the extra-man advantage at 2:24, and Kyle Peto scored when a puck went off the boards and straight to him. Two minutes after Peto’s goal, 2010 CHL All-Star Bruce Graham responded with a backhand goal top shelf to bring the Americans within two, 3-1. The two-goal separation did not last long. Former Allen American Kurtis Dulle tallied a goal at 14:25 to regain the IceRays’ three-goal advantage. The score was 4-1 after 40 minutes.

The Americans scored early in the third period to bring them within two. Nino Musitelli shot high on Beech’s glove side 53 seconds into the final frame. The IceRay netminder got a piece of the shot but not enough to stop it. The clock ran down, and Allen called a timeout with 1:26 remaining. The Americans emerged from the timeout with six skaters on the ice. Bennett scored an empty-net goal to seal the game’s fate at 19:06 and sent the IceRays into the playoffs.

McKee made 26 saves tonight, while Beech stopped 13 shots. Prior to tonight’s game, Jordie Benn was activated from 14-day injured reserve.

The Americans close out their first regular season tomorrow night, March 20, at 7:30 p.m. As a part of Fan Appreciation Weekend, the club will be hosting a post-game skate for all fans with the players and Ice Angels. Fans can bring their own skates or rent skates.

The Americans are also hosting the first Police vs. Fire On Ice matchup that will take place at 5:00 p.m. The Allen Police Department will be facing off against the Allen Fire Department. One tickets gets fans access to both games. Tickets are available by calling 972-912-1000.

Earlier today, the Americans announced the schedule for their first series in the 2010 Ray Miron President’s Cup Playoffs. They will begin post-season play in the Conference Semi-Finals by taking on Laredo. Their first home playoff games will be March 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m.

The box score is available on Pointstreak.com: http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=1067892

Tickets for Last Regular Season Game & Playoff Tickets On Sale Now
Fans can purchase tickets for the last regular season games March 20. Playoff tickets are on sale as well. Tickets start as low as $7. To order, call 972-912-1000 or 1-866-4-GET-TIX (1-866-443-8849), go to gettix.net or stop by the Allen Event Center Box Office. The Box Office is open from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Fans interested in 10 tickets or more to any one game or tickets to multiple games are encouraged to speak with an Allen Americans representative regarding group discounts and savings off walk-up prices at 972.912.1000.